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(11) | EP 0 867 830 A3 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Method and apparatus for annotation of medical imagery to facilitate patient identification, diagnosis and treatment |
| (57) A method and apparatus for annotation of medical imagery to facilitate patient identification.
diagnosis. and treatment is characterized by an imaging device for producing a first
signal representative of sensed characteristics of the individual and a minutiae generator
which receives the first signal and produces a second signal representative of minutiae
of the individual. the minutiae corresponding to specific branch points of blood vessels
of the individual A minutiae data generator analyzes the characteristics of minutiae
and produces a third signal representative of the characteristics which is stored
in a minutiae database for each of the plurality of known individuals and their medical
conditions. The minutiae and minutiae data may be used to annotate medical imagery
to facilitate subsequent image comparison by providing standardized registration points
and time-varying characteristics. A minutiae matcher pairs corresponding second signals
and third signals from a current patient with those from a database record, and the
paired signals are used to align the images and compare them. The minutiae analysis
techniques of the invention can be used to identify medical patients. assist in the
diagnosis of medical conditions. and detect and monitor the use of alcohol and drugs.
including anesthesia. |